Hike Slovakia's High Tatras Mountains in a Weekend: The Winter Edition
- Slovakia
- 3 nights
A proper winter hiking adventure among alpine lakes, snow-capped peaks and remote valleys – topped off with a soak in thermal baths
What's Included?
- Activities & Certified GuidesAll itinerary activities with expert, local, English-speaking guides
- Hotel3 nights in a family-run hotel
- Meals3 breakfasts and 3 dinners
- TransfersTransfers to and from the airport and everything in between
- EquipmentAll your winter walking equipment will be taken care of
- Small Like-minded GroupsSolo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 8 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people
From…excluding flights
Highlights
Trek your way through the spellbinding High Tatras in winter - 78km of unspoilt mountains with the views to match
Traverse untracked powder and verdant pine forests in Slovakia’s remote backcountry over a long weekend
Soak your aches away in the revitalising, steamy waters of one of the region's natural thermal springs
Itinerary
Day 1
The High Tatras
HotelTwin or triple shareDinner includedShow Day 1 detailHide detail
Travel into the High Tatras Mountains that separate Slovakia and Poland and head for the lovely alpine village of Stara Lesna, where you’ll get a warm reception at the friendly, family-run hotel you’ll be staying in. After settling into your room, head down to meet your travelling companions over dinner and relax into the holiday rhythm.
Day 2
Hike to the Green Lake
Hiking6hrs · 16km · 700m up · 700m downHotelTwin or triple shareBreakfast and dinner includedShow Day 2 detailHide detail
Climb to the remote, vivid turquoise waters of the aptly named Green Lake, 1545 metres above sea level - a particularly magical location in winter. After exploring the shoreline and grabbing some hard to believe photos, relax in a landscape of snow-capped peaks, wildflower meadows and rolling green pine forest. As this trip strikes that all-important balance between adventure and relaxation, balance out your day with some serious sauna and jacuzzi time back in the village.
Day 3
Winter hiking to Velicke Lake
Hiking6hrs · 13km · 500m up · 500m downHotelTwin or triple shareBreakfast and dinner includedShow Day 3 detailHide detail
Today you'll be hiking into the winter wonderland that is the High Tatras Mountains. Relaxation earned, soak in a natural thermal pool and let your worries (and muscle knots) fade away.
Day 4
A last hike before home
Hiking4hrs · 10km · 300m up · 300m downBreakfast includedShow Day 4 detailHide detail
Starting at lovely Lake Strbske Pleso, you’ll hike through the ridiculously picturesque Mengusovska Valley - a lost world of jagged peaks, dramatic rock faces and verdant forest, ending at the glistening Lake Popradske. Then, after four days of adventure and relaxation, it’s time to head home refreshed and revitalised.
Practical Stuff
Getting There
- Nearest airport
- Kraków John Paul II International Airport (KRK)
- Pick up
- Krakow John Paul II International Airport, Poland
Arrive by 16:30 on Day 1 - Drop off
- Krakow John Paul II International Airport, Poland
16:00 on Day 4
This Trip is Graded Level 3
What is and isn't Included?
What's included
- Guided hike to Green Lake
- Sauna and jacuzzi in Stara Lesna
- Guided hike to Velicke Lake
- Soak in a natural thermal pool
- Guided hike through Mengusovska Valley
- Expert, local, English-speaking guides
- 3 nights in a family run hotel in Stara Lesna
- 3 continental breakfasts
- 3 traditional dinners
- Group arrival transfer from Krakow Airport (in Poland) on Day 1
- Group departure transfer to Krakow Airport (in Poland) on Day 4
- All transfers during the trip
- All winter walking equipment
What's not included
Our trips do not include flights, trains or other travel to the start point and back from the end point.
Tips are not included in the trip cost; these are entirely at your discretion. If you would like to tip, the amount should be reflective of your perception of service and quality.
You know your own spending habits best, so please budget an appropriate amount for things like optional meals and drinks, shopping, optional activities, and laundry.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing. Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness. Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine (opens in new tab), as their insurance offers all of the above.
Visa requirements often change, and you are responsible for obtaining any required visas for this trip. Please check with your nearest embassy or consulate for up-to-date advice.
Optional Extras
Upgrades
- Private Room Upgrade
- …/per person
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room can be booked for an extra charge, see Optional Extras for the price. Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability).
To request any extras, message your host via your Much Better Adventures account once you have booked your trip.
All extras must be paid before your trip starts.
Ratings & Reviews
- 1 star (0)
Category rating
- Food
- 5.0
- Guides & crew
- 5.0
- Accommodation
- 5.0
- Itinerary
- 5.0
Latest Reviews
Customer Photos
Before You Travel
What to Pack

Know before you go! Some stuff we'll provide, other things you'll need to bring.
FAQs
Can I leave my excess luggage somewhere?
Absolutely. You can leave anything you don't need in your hotel room throughout the trip and just hike with small rucksack for personal items each day.
What do I do about drinking water?
The local tap water is safe to drink. Please bring along your own reusable water bottles (at least 1.5L) to fill up to avoid buying single-use plastic bottles.
Cold climate: what factors should I consider?
This trip includes locations or elevations where conditions can be extremely cold. Daytime temperatures may drop below freezing (0°C/32°F), and nights are often significantly colder. These conditions can affect physical performance and increase the risk of exposure-related issues, such as frostbite or hypothermia.
Your guide is trained to manage these risks, adapting activity intensity and monitoring group wellbeing. However, it's important to take personal responsibility – bringing the right cold-weather gear (see Kit List), staying hydrated and well-nourished, and recognising early signs of cold stress.
We recommend assessing your personal comfort and resilience in cold environments, and consulting a medical professional if you have health conditions that may be affected. Arriving early can also help you acclimatise to the colder conditions, especially if you're coming from a much warmer climate.
Can I book on my own?
Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Who is running the trip?
Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.
What is the official travel advice?
Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).
For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.
What vaccinations do I need?
We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.
How are the trips priced?
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
Why are your adventures only for adults?
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.
Who else will be on my trip?
You're always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
- 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
- 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
- 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
What's the weather like?
On any winter hike in a high mountain environment, you will potentially encounter high winds, rain, snow, ice and steep slopes. The Tatras Mountains are no different and you should be prepared to face these conditions. Temperatures can get as low as -20°C so multiple warm layers are necessary.
What's the carbon footprint for this trip?
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 122kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000 miles/1609km would be approximately 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person, if there were two of you in it).
- A return economy class flight between London and New York would be approximately 1619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approximately 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
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